text:
Issue No.: 247
by: Timothy J. Dailey, Ph. D.
Scandals involving the sexual abuse of under-age boys by homosexual priests have rocked the Roman Catholic Church. At the same time, defenders of homosexuality argue that youth organizations such as the Boy Scouts should be forced to include homosexuals among their adult leaders. Similarly, the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), a homosexual activist organization that targets schools, has spearheaded the formation of "Gay-Straight Alliances" among students. GLSEN encourages homosexual teachers--even in the youngest grades--to be open about their sexuality, as a way of providing role models to "gay" students. In addition, laws or policies banning employment discrimination based on "sexual orientation" usually make no exception for those who work with children or youth.Many parents have become concerned that children may be molested, encouraged to become sexually active, or even "recruited" into adopting a homosexual identity and lifestyle. Gay activists dismiss such concerns--in part, by strenuously insisting that there is no connection between homosexuality and the sexual abuse of children.
However, despite efforts by homosexual activists to distance the gay lifestyle from pedophilia, there remains a disturbing connection between the two. This is because, by definition, male homosexuals are sexually attracted to other males. While many homosexuals may not seek young sexual partners, the evidence indicates that disproportionate numbers of gay men seek adolescent males or boys as sexual partners. In this paper we will consider the following evidence linking homosexuality to pedophilia:
· Pedophiles are invariably males: Almost all sex crimes against children are committed by men.
· Significant numbers of victims are males: Up to one-third of all sex crimes against children are committed against boys (as opposed to girls).
· The 10 percent fallacy: Studies indicate that, contrary to the inaccurate but widely accepted claims of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, homosexuals comprise between 1 to 3 percent of the population.
· Homosexuals are overrepresented in child sex offenses: Individuals from the 1 to 3 percent of the population that is sexually attracted to the same sex are committing up to one-third of the sex crimes against children.
· Some homosexual activists defend the historic connection between homosexuality and pedophilia: Such activists consider the defense of "boy-lovers" to be a legitimate gay rights issue.
· Pedophile themes abound in homosexual literary culture: Gay fiction as well as serious academic treatises promote "intergenerational intimacy."
MALE HOMOSEXUALS COMMIT A DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF CHILD SEX ABUSE CASESHomosexual apologists admit that some homosexuals sexually molest children, but they deny that homosexuals are more likely to commit such offenses. After all, they argue, the majority of child molestation cases are heterosexual in nature. While this is correct in terms of absolute numbers, this argument ignores the fact that homosexuals comprise only a very small percentage of the population.
The evidence indicates that homosexual men molest boys at rates grossly disproportionate to the rates at which heterosexual men molest girls. To demonstrate this it is necessary to connect several statistics related to the problem of child sex abuse: 1) men are almost always the perpetrator; 2) up to one-third or more of child sex abuse cases are committed against boys; 3) less than three percent of the population are homosexuals. Thus, a tiny percentage of the population (homosexual men), commit one-third or more of the cases of child sexual molestation.
Men Account for Almost All Sexual Abuse of Children Cases· An essay on adult sex offenders in the book Sexual Offending Against Children reported:"It is widely believed that the vast majority of sexual abuse is perpetrated by males and that female sex offenders only account for a tiny proportion of offences. Indeed, with 3,000 adult male sex offenders in prison in England and Wales at any one time, the corresponding figure for female sex offenders is 12!"[1]
· Kee MacFarlane, et al., writing in Sexual Abuse of Young Children: Evaluation and Treatment report:"The large majority of sexual perpetrators appear to be males (Herman and Hirschman, 1981; Lindholm and Willey, 1983)."[2]
· A report by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children states: "In both clinical and non-clinical samples, the vast majority of offenders are male."[3]
· A study in the Journal of Sex Research states that "pedophilia does not exist, or is extremely rare, in women."[4]
A Significant Percentage of Child Sexual Abuse Victims are Boys· According to the Journal of Child Psychiatry: "It was commonly believed fifteen years ago that girls were abused in excess of boys in a ratio of about 9 to 1, but contemporary studies now indicate that the ratio of girls to boys abused has narrowed remarkably. . . . The majority of community studies suggest a . . . ratio . . . in the order of 2 to 4 girls to 1 boy."[5] Another study found that "some authors now believe that boys may be sexually abused as commonly as girls (Groth, 1978; O'Brien, 1980)."[6]
· A study of 457 male sex offenders against children in Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy found that "approximately one-third of these sexual offenders directed their sexual activity against males."[7]
Sexual Abuse of Boys is UnderreportedThe actual percentage of child sexual abuse victims who are boys very likely exceeds the above estimates. Many researchers echo the view of the Journal of Child Psychiatry study, which refers to the "under-reporting of the incidence and prevalence of sexual abuse in boys."[8]
· Dr. Robert Johnson, in Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality, reports: "The vast majority of cases of male sexual molestation is not reported. As a result, these young men keep both the incidents and their feelings to themselves."[9]
· The Department of Justice report on child sexual exploitation explains why the percentage of boy victims is underestimated: "Adolescent boy victims are highly likely to deny certain types of sexual activity. . . . They are embarrassed and ashamed of their behavior and rightfully believe that society will not understand their victimization. . . . No matter what the investigator does, most adolescent boys will deny they were victims."[10]
· The Journal of Child Psychiatry adds: "Boys are usually encultured into an ethos where self-reliance, independence and sexual prowess are valued, while showing hurt or homosexuality are denigrated. . . . This may lead to powerful repression or deletion of the experience, with failure to report."[11]
Homosexuals Comprise Less than 3 Percent of the Population· Relying upon three large data sets: the General Social Survey, the National Health and Social Life Survey, and the U.S. census, a recent study in Demography estimates the number of exclusive male homosexuals in the general population at 2.5 percent, and the number of exclusive lesbians at 1.4 percent.[12]
· A study of the sexual behavior of men in the United States based on the National Survey of Men (a nationally representative sample comprised of 3,321 men aged twenty to thirty-nine, published in Family Planning Perspectives), found that "2 percent of sexually active men aged twenty to thirty-nine . . . had had any same-gender sexual activity during the last ten years. Approximately 1 percent of the men (1.3 percent among whites and 0.2 percent among blacks) reported having had exclusively homosexual activity.[13]
· J. Gordon Muir, writing in The Wall Street Journal, discusses a number of studies that have found that homosexuals comprise between 1 to 3 percent of the population.[14]
· In a survey of studies on homosexuals in different populations, the Archives of Sexual Behavior reported a random sample of Hawaii State residents interviewed by telephone. The study found "just about 3 percent of males and 1.2 percent of females as having engaged in same-sex or bisexual activity."[15] However, this relatively higher number is attributed to the fact that the study was not limited to exclusive homosexuals, but included all those who at some time in their lives engaged in same-sex activities.[16]
Homosexual Pedophiles are Vastly Overrepresented in Child Sex Abuse CasesHomosexual pedophiles sexually molest children at a far greater rate compared to the percentage of homosexuals in the general population. A study in the Journal of Sex Research found, as we have noted above, that "approximately one-third of [child sex offenders] had victimized boys and two-thirds had victimized girls." The authors then make a prescient observation: "Interestingly, this ratio differs substantially from the ratio of gynephiles (men who erotically prefer physically mature females) to androphiles (men who erotically prefer physically mature males), which is at least 20 to 1."[17]
In other words, although heterosexuals outnumber homosexuals by a ratio of at least 20 to 1, homosexual pedophiles commit about one-third of the total number of child sex offenses.
Similarly, the Archives of Sexual Behavior also noted that homosexual pedophiles are significantly overrepresented in child sex offence cases:
The best epidemiological evidence indicates that only 2 to 4 percent of men attracted to adults prefer men (ACSF Investigators, 1992; Billy et al.,1993; Fay et al.,1989; Johnson et al.,1992); in contrast, around 25 to 40 percent of men attracted to children prefer boys (Blanchard et al.,1999; Gebhard et al.,1965; Mohr et al.,1964). Thus, the rate of homosexual attraction is 6 to 20 times higher among pedophiles."[18]The stark imbalance between homosexual and heterosexual child molestationswas confirmed in the Archives of Sexual Behavior study itself, which divided 260 pedophile participants into three groups: "152 heterosexual pedophiles (men with offenses or self-reported attractions involving girls only), 43 bisexual pedophiles (boys and girls), and 65 homosexual pedophiles (boys only)."[19] In other words, 25 percent of the offenders were homosexual pedophiles--or 41 percent if those who molest girls as well as boys are included.
Other studies report an unusually high percentage of child molestations by homosexual pedophiles:
· A study on pedophilia in the Psychiatric Journal of the University of Ottawa reported: "According to the literature, findings of a two-to-one ratio of heterosexual to homosexual pedophiles have been documented."[20]
· The Journal of Sex Research reports a study that included "199 offenders against female children and 96 offenders against male children. . . . This would indicate a proportional prevalence of 32 percent of homosexual offenders against children."[21]
· A study of male child sex offenders in Child Abuse and Neglect found that fourteen percent targeted only males, and a further 28 percent chose males as well as females as victims, thus indicating that 42 percent of male pedophiles engaged in homosexual molestation.[22]
ARE MEN WHO MOLEST BOYS REALLY 'HOMOSEXUALS'? Gay Apologists Insist on a Simplistic Stereotype of PedophiliaCentral to the attempts to separate homosexuality from pedophilia is the claim that pedophiles cannot, by definition, be considered homosexuals. Relying upon a questionable methodology[23], the gay advocacy organization Human Rights Campaign published a "Fact Sheet on Sexual Orientation and Child Abuse," that states: "A sexual abuser who molests a child of the same sex is usually not considered homosexual."[24]
The basis for this claim is the view that pedophiles who molest boys cannot be considered homosexual if that individual has at any time been married or sexually involved with women.
'Homosexual Pedophiles': A Clinical TermThe fact is, however, that the terms "homosexual" and "pedophile" are not mutually exclusive: they describe two intersecting types of sexual attraction. Webster's Dictionary defines "homosexual" as someone who is sexually attracted to persons of the same sex. "Pedophile" is defined as "an adult who is sexually attracted to young children." The former definition refers to the gender of the desired sexual object, while the latter refers to the age of the desired sexual object.
A male "homosexual pedophile," then, is defined as someone who is generally (but not exclusively, see below) sexually attracted to boys, while a female "homosexual pedophile" is sexually attracted to girls.[25]
The term "homosexual pedophile" was first used in the early 20th century by the Viennese psychiatrist Dr. Richard von Krafft-Ebing, who pioneered the systematic study of sexual deviance. Krafft-Ebing described pedophiles as heterosexually, homosexually or bisexually oriented.[26] This division has been accepted by pedophiles themselves,[27] and is well attested in the literature:
· A study of child molesters in Behavior Research and Therapy found that "a homosexual and a heterosexual subgroup can be delineated among these offenders."[28]
· The Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy published a study on the same topic, which discussed "the proportional prevalences of heterosexual and homosexual pedophilia."[29] The study commented on a study that found that "the percentage of the homosexual pedophiles would be 45.8." Even adjusted downward for exhibitionists, "this would still indicate a much higher percentage (34 percent) of homosexuals among pedophiles than among men who prefer physically mature partners."[30]
· In a review of studies on pedophilia, the Psychiatric Journal of the University of Ottawa concluded: "The findings of previous studies report that pedophiles can be divided into heterosexual and homosexual pedophiles according to their erotic preference. . . . This was confirmed in this recent study."[31] The article classified homosexual pedophilia into three types: the socially inadequate homosexual pedophile, the intrusive homosexual pedophile, and the undifferentiated homosexual pedophile.[32]
· A study of pedophiles in Behavior Research and Therapy concluded: "The second, and perhaps the most important observation we made, is that a homosexual and a heterosexual subgroup can be delineated among these offenders. . . . Categorizing them in this way revealed important differences in the pattern of their sexual preferences."[33]
· The International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology refers to homosexual pedophiles as a "distinct group." The victims of homosexual pedophiles "were more likely to be strangers, that they were more likely to have engaged in paraphiliac behavior separate from that involved in the offence, and that they were more likely to have past convictions for sexual offences. . . . Other studies [showed a] greater risk of reoffending than those who had offended against girls" and that the "recidivism rate for male-victim offenders is approximately twice that for female-victim offenders."[34]
Homosexuals and Homosexual Pedophiles Engage in a Wide Variety of Sexual Behavior that Belies Simplistic Categories
Despite this evidence, in their efforts to divorce homosexuality from pedophilia, homosexual apologists insist on a rigid, narrow definition of the terms "homosexual" and "pedophile" that permits no overlap of the terms. They deny that homosexuals are attracted in inordinate numbers to boys. They also claim that pedophiles cannot be classified as "homosexual" if at any time they have had sexual relations with women.
However, such a narrow definition does not do justice to the complex nature of pedophilia. Researchers have long been aware that pedophiles exhibit a wide variety of sexual attractions and behavior--often to draw attention away from their primary lust for boys. A study on sex offenders in the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology notes that "the reason child sexual abusers are successful at remaining undetected is because they do not fit a stereotype."[35]
The data indicates that both homosexuality and pedophilia are intersecting categories that admit to a wide variety of sexual behavior:
Homosexual Males are Sexually Attracted to Underage Boys· A study in Archives of Sexual Behavior found that homosexual men are attracted to young males. The study compared the sexual age preferences of heterosexual men, heterosexual women, homosexual men, and lesbians. The results showed that, in marked contrast to the other three categories, "all but 9 of the 48 homosexual men preferred the youngest two male age categories," which included males as young as age fifteen.[36]
· In The Gay Report, by homosexual researchers Karla Jay and Allen Young, the authors report data showing that 73 percent of homosexuals surveyed had at some time had sex with boys sixteen to nineteen years of age or younger."[37]
Conversely, Homosexual Pedophiles are Often Attracted to Adult Males· A study of sex offenders against male children in Behavior Research and Therapy found that male homosexual pedophiles are sexually attracted to "males of all ages." Compared to non-offenders, the offenders showed "greater arousal" to slides of nude males as old as twenty-four: "As a group, the child molesters responsed [sp] with moderate sexual arousal . . . to the nude males of all ages."[38]
· A study of Canadians imprisoned for pedophilia in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence noted that some of the adult male offenders engaged in homosexual acts with adult males.[39]
· Many pedophiles, in fact, consider themselves to be homosexual. A study of 229 convicted child molesters in Archives of Sexual Behavior found that "eighty-six percent of offenders against males described themselves as homosexual or bisexual."[40]
· Fr. John Harvey, founder and director of Courage, a support ministry for Catholics who struggle with same-sex attraction, explains that "the pedophile differs from the ordinary homosexual in that the former admires boyishness in the object of his affections, while the latter admires manliness."[41] However, the categories are not completely separate:
While granting that the majority of homosexuals are not aroused by young boys, the distinction between homosexuality and homosexual pedophilia is not quite absolute. In some cases the interest oscillates between young adolescents and adults, in others between boys and adolescents; in exceptional cases a man may be interested in boys at one time and adults at another.[42]
Many Pedophiles are Attracted to Women, Marry, and Have ChildrenGay activists insist that pedophilia has nothing to do with homosexuality because pedophiles are only sexually interested in children, whereas homosexuals only have sexual relations with adults. We have already seen that this stereotypical view is not correct with regard to homosexuals. There is also abundant evidence demonstrating that, while primarily interested in children, pedophiles nevertheless exhibit a wide variety of sexual behaviors, including relationships with women:
· A study in Child Abuse and Neglect found that 48 percent of the offenders either were married or had been married at some time.[43]
· The Journal of Interpersonal Violence studied the sexual preferences of male pedophiles who sexually abused children. When they compared the sexual response of the pedophiles with the control group, they found, unexpectedly: "Surprisingly, the two groups did not differ in their response to the nude female stimuli."[44]
· A study in the Psychiatric Journal of the University of Ottawa reported that "most of the middle-aged pedophiles have had significant adult sexual activity."[45] Fifty-eight percent of the pedophiles in one study had at least one child, while other research indicated that "more than two-thirds of the married pedophiles in their sample had children, with an average of two to three children per subject."[46]
· A report by the Department of Justice addressed the devious stratagems of pedophiles, who will go to great lengths to conceal their true desires: "Preferential sex offenders may be 'pillars of the community' and are often described as 'nice guys.' They almost always have a means of access to children (for example, through marriage, neighborhood, or occupation.)"[47]
Thus, the evidence shows that homosexual pedophiles cannot be narrowly defined as individuals who are solely attracted to underage boys. In fact there is considerable overlap between homosexuality and pedophilia.
PEDOPHILIA IN GAY CULTURE The Historical Connection between Pedophilia and the Gay Rights MovementDavid Thorstad is a homosexual activist and historian of the gay rights movement.[48] He is a former president of New York's Gay Activists Alliance (GAA), a prototype activist group founded in December 1969. The GAA at its inception opposed age of consent laws, which prohibited adults from having sex with children.[49] Thorstad is also a pedophile and founding member of the North American Man Boy Love Association (NAMBLA).
Thorstad argues that there is a natural and undeniable connection between homosexuality and pedophilia. He expresses bitterness that the gay rights movement has, in his view, abandoned pedophilia. Thorstad writes: "Boy-lovers were involved in the gay movement from the beginning, and their presence was tolerated. Gay youth groups encouraged adults to attend their dances. . . . There was a mood of tolerance, even joy at discovering the myriad of lifestyles within the gay and lesbian subculture."[50]
The inaugural issue of the Gay Community News in 1979 published a "Statement to the Gay Liberation Movement on the Issue of Man/Boy Love," which challenged the movement to return to a vision of sexual liberation. It argued that "the ultimate goal of gay liberation is the achievement of sexual freedom for all--not just equal rights for 'lesbian and gay men,' but also freedom of sexual expression for young people and children."
In the early years there was some reluctance to accept pedophilia, primarily among feminist and lesbian activist groups. In March 1979 the Lesbian Feminist Liberation (LFL) accusing "so-called Man/Boy Lovers" of "attempting to legitimize sex between children and adults. . . . Feminists easily recognize this as the latest attempt to make palatable the sexual exploitation of children." The coalition went on record as opposing "the sexual abuse of children by heterosexual or homosexual persons."[51]
Despite this opposition, Thorstad claims that by 1985 homosexual pedophiles had won acceptance within the gay movement. He cites Jim Kepner, then curator of the International Gay and Lesbian Archives in Los Angeles: "A point I've been trying to make is that if we reject the boylovers in our midst today we'd better stop waving the banner of the Ancient Greeks, of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Oscar Wilde, Walt Whitman, Horatio Alger, and Shakespeare. We'd better stop claiming them as part of our heritage unless we are broadening our concept of what it means to be gay today."[52]
In 1985 NAMBLA was admitted as a member in New York's council of Lesbian and Gay Organizations as well as the International Gay Association--now the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). In the mid-1990's ILGA's association with NAMBLA and other pedophile groups cost the organization it's status as a Non-Governmental Organization in the United Nations.
ILGA's renewed attempt to gain admittance to the UN was rejected again in April 2002 because the organization "did not document that it had purged pedophile groups such as [NAMBLA]." The Washington Times reports that Ishtiag H. Anrabi, Pakistani delegate to the UN Economic and Social Council, expressed concern that ILGA was continuing to be secretive about ties with pedophile groups: "For more than a year, the ILGA has refused to provide documentation or allow review of its membership list to demonstrate that pedophilia groups have been expelled."[53]
Pedophile Themes Abound in Gay LiteratureThe late "beat" poet Allen Ginsberg illustrates the seamless connection between homosexuality and pedophilia. Many know Ginsberg as an illustrious "out" homosexual poet: fewer are aware that he was also a pedophile.
Biographer Raymond-Jean Frontain refers to Ginsberg's publications in both NAMBLA Bulletin and NAMBLA Journal. He discusses how Ginsberg's biographers failed to discuss his poems that contained pederastic themes:
Although both Shumacher and Barry Miles (Ginsberg's initial biographer) frankly discuss Ginsberg's sexual politics, neither refers to his involvement with the controversial North American Man/Boy Love Association. . . . I reread Collected Poems and Ginsberg's two subsequent collections, surprised by the pattern of references to anal intercourse and to pederasty that emerged.[54]Ginsberg was one of the first of a growing number of homosexual writers who cater to the fascination with pedophilia in the gay community. Mary Eberstadt, writing in the Weekly Standard, documents how the taboo against sex with children continues to erode--with the impetus coming from homosexual writers.[55]
Revealingly, the examples she provides of pedophilia in current literature come from gay fiction. Eberstadt cites the Village Voice, which states that "Gay fiction is rich with idyllic accounts of 'intergenerational relationships,' as such affairs are respectfully called these days."[56] Other examples of pedophilia-themed gay fiction include:
· In the introduction of the "mainstream" homosexual anthology Penguin Book on International Gay Writing, David Leavitt notes matter-of-factly that "Another 'forbidden' topic from which European writers seem less likely to shrink is the love of older men for young boys." Leavitt praises one book with a pedophilic theme included in the anthology as a "coolly assured narrative [which] compels the reader to imagine the world from a perspective he might ordinarily condemn."[57]
· Several texts included in another anthology, The Gay Canon: Great Books Every Gay Man Should Read, feature scenes of man-boy sex. One such book is praised as "an operatic adventure into the realms of love, personality, ambition and art . . . a pure joy to read." The protagonist is "a pedophile's dream: the mind of a man in the body of a boy."[58] Another novel which includes graphic descriptions of sexual violence against boys is said to "[tear] straight to the heart of one of the greatest sources, community-wide, of 1990's gay angst: What to do with men who love boys?"[59]
· Yet another anthology of homosexual fiction, A History of Gay Literature: The Male Tradition, published by Yale University Press, includes "a longish chapter on 'Boys and Boyhood' which is a seemingly definitive account of pro-pedophile literary works."[60] The author appears more concerned with the feelings and emotions of the man than with his boy victim. He explores the question of "whether or not you regard [having sex with boys] as a way of retreating from life or, on the contrary, as a way of engaging with it at its most honest and least corrupted level."[61]
· A significant percentage of books that have appeared on the Gay Men's Press fiction bestseller list contain pedophilia themes, including:
Some Boys: described as a "memoir of a lover of boys" that "evokes the author's young friends across four decades."[62]For a Lost Soldier: the story of a sexual relationship between a soldier and an eleven-year-old boy, set during World War II.[63]A Good Start, Considering: yet another story about an eleven-year-old boy (!) who suffers sexual abuse but is rescued by a teenager who "offers him love and affection"[64]Terre Haute: billed as "A poetic novel of sexual awakening in the American Midwest, tracing an adolescent's journey from introspection to perilous desire."Shiva and Arun: the story of two Indian adolescents who "discover early on the joys of sex."Teardrops on My Drum: barefoot kids in 1920's Liverpool search for "adventure, love and sex."
Pro-pedophilia PublicationsRecent years have seen the appearance of publications that lend a scholarly veneer to the fascination with pedophilia in the gay community. Such publications attempt to make the case for "intergenerational intimacy." The nation's largest gay publisher, Alyson Publications, which distributes Daddy's Roommate and other homosexual books that promote homosexuality to children, publishes books advocating man-boy sex, including:
· Paedophilia: The Radical Case, which contains detailed information on how to engage in sexual relations with young boys.[65]
· The Age Taboo, another defense of pedophilia which claims: "Boy-lovers . . . are not child molesters. The child abusers are . . . parents who force their staid morality onto the young people in their custody."[66]
The Journal of Homosexuality and PedophiliaThe Journal of Homosexuality is viewed as the premier "mainstream" English-language publication of the gay movement. One prominent editor is John DeCecco, a psychologist at San Francisco State University who also serves on the editorial board of the Dutch pedophile journal Paidika. It is therefore not surprising to see pedophilia promoted on its pages.
In 1990 the Journal of Homosexuality published a series of essays on pedophilia that were eventually published as Male Inter-Generational Intimacy: Historical, Socio-Psychological, and Legal Perspectives, edited by pedophile Edward Brongersma. None of the essays offered any substantive criticism of pedophilia: most blatantly promoted man-boy love as the natural right of homosexuals.
In 1999 Helmut Graupner, wrote an article on pedophilia in the Journal of Homosexuality, in which he claims: "Man/boy and woman/girl relations without doubt are same-sex relations and they do constitute an aspect of gay and lesbian life." Graupner argues that, as such, consensual sexual relations between adult homosexuals and youths as young as fourteen qualifies as a "gay rights issue."[67]
The fascination with pedophilia continues to be a cause of concern even within the gay community. Lesbian columnist Paula Martinac, writing in the homosexual newspaper Washington Blade, states:
[S]ome gay men still maintain that an adult who has same-sex relations with someone under the legal age of consent is on some level doing the kid a favor by helping to bring him or her 'out.' It's not pedophilia, this thinking goes--pedophilia refers only to little kids. Instead, adult-youth sex is viewed as an important aspect of gay culture, with a history dating back to 'Greek love' of ancient times. This romanticized version of adult-youth sexual relations has been a staple of gay literature and has made appearances, too, in gay-themed films.[68]Martinac adds that "When some gay men venerate adult-youth sex as affirming while simultaneously declaring 'We're not pedophiles,' they send an inconsistent message to society. . . . The lesbian and gay community will never be successful in fighting the pedophile stereotype until we all stop condoning sex with young people."[69]
VICTIM'S TURNED VICTIMIZERS: THE CONSEQUENCES OF HOMOSEXUAL CHILD ABUSEThe steadfast denial of the disturbing ties with pedophilia within the homosexual movement is no purely academic matter. Perhaps the most tragic aspect of the homosexual-pedophile connection is the fact that men who sexually molest boys all too often lead their victims into homosexuality and pedophilia. The evidence indicates that a high percentage of homosexuals and pedophiles were themselves sexually abused as children:
· The Archives of Sexual Behavior reports: "One of the most salient findings of this study is that 46 percent of homosexual men and 22 percent of homosexual women reported having been molested by a person of the same gender. This contrasts to only 7 percent of heterosexual men and 1 percent of heterosexual women reporting having been molested by a person of the same gender."[70]
· A study of 279 homosexual/bisexual men with AIDS and control patients discussed in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported: "More than half of both case and control patients reported a sexual act with a male by age 16 years, approximately 20 percent by age 10 years."[71]
· Noted child sex abuse expert David Finkelhor found that "boys victimized by older men were over four times more likely to be currently engaged in homosexual activity than were non-victims. The finding applied to nearly half the boys who had had such an experience. . . . Further, the adolescents themselves often linked their homosexuality to their sexual victimization experiences."[72]
· A study in the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology found: "In the case of childhood sexual experiences prior to the age of fourteen, 40 percent (of the pedophile sample) reported that they had engaged 'very often' in sexual activity with an adult, with 28 percent stating that this type of activity had occurred 'sometimes'"[73]
· A National Institute of Justice report states that "the odds that a childhood sexual abuse victim will be arrested as an adult for any sex crime is 4.7 times higher than for people . . . who experienced no victimization as children."[74]
· A Child Abuse and Neglect study found that 59 percent of male child sex offenders had been "victim of contact sexual abuse as a child."[75]
· The Journal of Child Psychiatry noted that "there is a tendency among boy victims to recapitulate their own victimization, only this time with themselves in the role of perpetrator and someone else the victim."[76]
The circle of abuse is the tragic legacy of the attempts by homosexuals to legitimize having sex with boys. For too many boys it is already too late to protect them from those who took advantage of their need for love and attention. All too many later perpetrate the abuse by themselves engaging in the sexual abuse of boys. Only by exposing the lies, insincere denials, and deceptions--including those wrapped in scholastic garb--of those who prey sexually on children, can we hope to build a wall of protection around the helpless children among us.
1. Dawn Fisher, "Adult Sex Offenders: Who are They? Why and How Do They Do It?" in Tony Morrison, et al., eds., Sexual Offending Against Children (London: Routledge, 1994), p. 11.2. Kee MacFarlane, et al., Sexual Abuse of Young Children: Evaluation and Treatment (New York: The Guilford Press, 1986), p. 9.3. John Briere, et al.,eds., The APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment (Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications, 1996), pp. 52, 53.4. Kurt Freund, et al., "Pedophilia and Heterosexuality vs. Homosexuality," Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy 10 (Fall 1984): 198; See also Freund, K, and Watson, R. J., "The Proportions of Heterosexual and Homosexual Paedophiles among Sex Offenders against Children: an Exploratory Study," Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy 18 (1992): 34.5. Bill Watkins and Arnon Bentovim, "The Sexual Abuse of Male Children and Adolescents: A Review of Current Research," Journal of Child Psychiatry 33 (1992); in Byrgen Finkelman, Sexual Abuse (New York: Garland Publishing, 1995), p. 300.6. MacFarlane, p. 9.7. Kurt Freund, et al., "Pedophilia and Heterosexuality vs. Homosexuality," Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy 10 (1984): 197. "The proportional prevalence of offenders against male children in this group of 457 offenders against children was 36 percent." See also, Kurt Freund, et al., "Heterosexuality, Homosexuality, and Erotic Age Preference," "Approximately one-third of these individuals had victimized boys and two-thirds had victimized girls. This finding is consistent with the proportions reported in two earlier studies," p. 107.8. Watkins and Bentovim, p. 315.9. Robert L. Johnson, "Long-term Effects of Sexual Abuse in Boys," Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality (September 1988): 38.10. "Understanding and Investigating Child Sexual Exploitation," (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, 1997), p. 12.11. Watkins and Bentovim, p. 302.12. Dan Black, et al., "Demographics of the Gay and Lesbian Population in the United States: Evidence from Available Systematic Data Sources," Demography 37 (May 2000): 141.13. John O. G. Billy, et al., "The Sexual Behavior of Men in the United States," Family Planning Perspectives 25 (March/April 1993): 58.14. J. Gordon Muir, "Homosexuals and the 10 percent Fallacy," Wall Street Journal (March 31, 1993).15. Milton Diamond, "Homosexuality and Bisexuality in Different Populations," Archives of Sexual Behavior 22 (1993):300.16. Ibid. Significantly, a number of studies that were surveyed, and which skewed the overall percentages of homosexuals upwards, included such vague definers as those having had "any homosexual body contact." In contrast, one study that was limited to self-identifying homosexuals found that less than 2 percent of the male respondents considered their "sexual orientation" to be homosexual, p. 293.17. Freund, "Heterosexuality, Homosexuality, and Erotic Age Preference," p. 107. In this and previous studies, Freund claims that homosexuals are no more likely than heterosexuals to be attracted to children (p. 115). However, Silverthorn, et al., mentions the limitations of studies by Freund and others: "Studies of homosexual male preferences are also limited. . . . The Freund et al.(1973) study was possibly compromised because the homosexual men used in the study were selected to be sexually attracted to adults, but not teenaged, males. The Bailey et al. (1994) study was limited in that it did not present participants with objective stimuli but simply asked participants to report what age of sexual partner they preferred . . . the Jankowiak et al. (1992) study . . . was limited in two ways: the homosexual male participants had a limited age range of 'middle-aged professionals' and the stimuli presented to participants were also of a limited age range ('university to middle-aged')." Silverthorn attempted to correct these deficiencies, and in his study found that homosexuals "preferred younger partners than those who preferred female partners"--including those as young as fifteen. Zebulon A. Silverthorne and Vernon L. Quinsey, "Sexual Partner Age Preferences of Homosexual and Heterosexual Men and Women," Archives of Sexual Behavior 29 (February 2000): 67-76.18. Ray Blanchard, et al., "Fraternal Birth Order and Sexual Orientation in Pedophiles," Archives of Sexual Behavior 29 (2000): 464.19. Ibid., p. 471.20. John M. W. Bradford, et al., "The Heterogeneity/Homogeneity of Pedophilia," Psychiatric Journal of the University of Ottawa 13 (1988): 225. Elsewhere the study notes: "Researchers have variously estimated the incidence of homosexual pedophilia between 19 percent and 33 percent of reported molestations," p. 218.21. Freund, "Pedophilia and Heterosexuality vs. Homosexuality," p. 197.22. Michele Elliott, "Child Sexual Abuse Prevention: What Offenders Tell Us," Child Abuse and Neglect 19 (1995): 581.23. The fact sheet discusses a study by Carole Jenny, et al., which claims that only 2 of 269 child molesters could be identified as gay or lesbian. Carole Jenny, et al., "Are Children at Risk for Sexual Abuse by Homosexuals?" Pediatrics 94 (July 1994): 41-44. However, the Jenny study utilized an atypical research technique: the reported child molesters themselves were not interviewed. Instead, the researchers relied upon the subjective opinions of "informants" who accompanied the child victim to the medical clinic. The qualifications for such "informants" to determine the sexual behavior of the accused molester were not established. However, once it is "determined" beforehand that pedophiles who molest boys cannot be considered gay or homosexual if they have had sexual relations with women, it is a foregone conclusion that few if any of the pedophiles -who often have girlfriends, are married, and have children - will be labeled homosexual. The Jenny study used this narrow profile despite the fact that the study itself found that 22 percent of the perpetrators were of the same sex as the victim. In these cases the molesters clearly engaged in homosexual sexual molestation.24. "Fact Sheet on Sexual Orientation and Child Abuse," Human Rights Campaign (2001):available at: http://hrc.grassroots.com/family/soandchildabusefact/. The fact sheet discusses a study by Carole Jenny, et al., which claims that only 2 of 269 child molesters could be identified as gay or lesbian. Carole Jenny, et al., "Are Children at Risk for Sexual Abuse by Homosexuals?" pp. 41-44. However, the Jenny study utilized an atypical research technique. The reported child molesters themselves were not interviewed; instead, the researchers relied upon the subjective opinions of "informants" who accompanied the child victim to the medical clinic.25. Note that the well-accepted definition of "child" as someone between infancy and the age of maturation is employed here.26. Bradford, p.218.27. "[Pedophiles] can be of either sex or any [sexual] orientation, i.e., homosexual, heterosexual or bisexual." Paedophilia:Some Questions and Answers (London: Paedophilic Informational Exchange, 1978); quoted in Seth L. Goldstein, "Investigating Child Sexual Exploitation:Law Enforcement's Role," FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 53 (January 1984): 23.28. W. L. Marshall, et al., "Sexual Offenders against Male Children: Sexual Preferences," Behavior Research and Therapy 26 (March 1988): 390.29. Freund, "Pedophilia and Heterosexuality vs. Homosexuality," p.194.30. Ibid., p. 197.31. Bradford, et al., p. 217.32. Ibid., pp. 218, 219.33. Marshall, p. 390.34. James Bickley and Anthony R. Beech, "Classifying Child Abusers: Its Relevance to Theory and Clinical Practice," International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 45 (2001): 56.35. Krisin A. Danni, et al., "An Analysis of Predicators of Child Sex Offender Types Using Presentence Investigation Reports," International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 44 (2000): 491.36. Zebulon A. Silverthorne and Vernon L. Quinsey, "Sexual Partner Age Preferences of Homosexual and Heterosexual Men and Women," p.73.37. Karla Jay and Allen Young, The Gay Report: Lesbians and Gay Men Speak Out about Sexual Experiences and Lifestyles (New York: Summit Books, 1979), p. 27538. Marshall, "Sexual Offenders against Male Children: Sexual Preferences," p. 383.39. W. L. Marshall, et al., "Early Onset and Deviant Sexuality in Child Molesters," Journal of Interpersonal Violence 6 (1991): 323-336.40. W. D. Erickson, "Behavior Patterns of Child Molesters," Archives of Sexual Behavior 17 (1988): 83.41. John F. Harvey, O.S.F.S., The Homosexual Person: New Thinking in Pastoral Care (San Francisco: Ignatius Press:1987): 22142. Ibid., p. 219.43. Elliott, p. 581.44. Marshall, "Sexual Offenders against Male Children: Sexual Preferences," p. 383.45. Bradford, p. 219.46. Bradford, p. 224.47. "Understanding and Investigating Child Sexual Exploitation," p. 5.48. Thorstad is co‑author, with John Lauritsen, of The early homosexual rights movement (1864‑1935) (New York: Times Change Press, 1974).49. David Thorstad, "May/Boy Love and the American Gay Movement" Journal of Homosexuality 20 (1990): 252.50. Ibid., p. 253.51. Ibid., p. 258.52. Ibid., p. 266.53. George Archibald, "U.N. Group Keeps Ban on Gay Lobby," Washington Times (May 1, 2002).54. Raymond-Jean Frontain, "The Works of Allen Ginsberg," Journal of Homosexuality 34 (1997): 109.55. Mary Eberstadt, "'Pedophilia Chic' Reconsidered" The Weekly Standard 6 (January 8, 2001).56. Ibid., p. 21.57. Ibid., p. 22.58. Ibid.59. Ibid.60. Ibid., p. 23.61. Ibid. Emphasis added by Eberstadt.62. Ibid., p. 23.63. Ibid.64. From the Gay Men's Press website: www.gmppubs.co.uk/cgi-bin/web_store/web_store.cgi65. Tom O'Carroll, Paedophilia: The Radical Case (Boston:Alyson Publications, 1982).66. Daniel Tsang, editor, The Age Taboo: Gay Male Sexuality, Power, and Consent (Boston: Alyson Publications ; London : Gay Men's Press, 1981), p. 144.67. Helmut Graupner, "Love Versus Abuse: Crossgenerational Sexual Relations of Minors: A Gay Rights Issue?" Journal of Homosexuality 37 (1999): 23, 26.68. Paula Martinac, "Mixed Messages on Pedophilia Need to be Clarified, Unified," Washington Blade (March 15, 2002).69. Ibid.70. Marie, E. Tomeo, et al., "Comparative Data of Childhood and Adolescence Molestation in Heterosexual and Homosexual Persons," Archives of Sexual Behavior 30 (2001): 539.71. Harry W. Haverkos, et al., "The Initiation of Male Homosexual Behavior," The Journal of the American Medical Association 262 (July 28, 1989): 501.72. Watkins and Bentovim, p. 316.73. Gary A. Sawle, Jon Kear-Colwell, "Adult Attachment Style and Pedophilia: A Developmental Perspective," International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 45 (February 2001):6.74. Cathy Spatz Widom, "Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse - Later Criminal Consequences," Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse Series:NIJ Research in Brief, (March 1995): 6.75. Elliott, p. 582.76. Watkins, p. 319. Watkins mentions several studies confirming that between 19 percent and 61 percent of male sex abusers had previously been sexually abused themselves.
Unholy Matrimony (God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve; U.S. has abandoned God)
How Permanent Is Your Salvation?
Mark 1:15: "...repent ye, and believe the gospel."
"The mark
of the child of God is that he loves everybody!"
(a quote from Pastor Jack
Hyles' classic MP3 sermon, "FORGIVENESS
Mark 11:22, "And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God."
"There is power in this
Gospel message. Most people just don't know how to
present it...
The clarity of the Gospel is what makes it easy for them to
—Pastor Yankee Arnold, a precious quote from the excellent MP3 sermon titled,
"And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life" (John 5:40)
Notice that Jesus said "ye will not come," not ye cannot come.
Jesus came to SAVE SINNERS! | They "Knew Not Until the Flood Came"
Ephesians 4:15, "...speaking the truth in love..."
"Ye that love the LORD, hate evil..." —Psalm 97:10
Homosexuality is a Sin! | Changing God's Truth Into A Lie
Homosexuality Agenda Exposed (.PDF file)
God created Adam and Eve, NOT Adam and Steve!
(a disturbing 7 part YouTube video series exposing
the planned Sodomite attack against society)
- "Homosexuality 101: A Primer" (Provides a brief history of the homosexual movement in the U.S. and its roots in Marxist ideology. This paper describes how homosexuals terrorized the psychiatric community and have created a marketing strategy to vilify their opponents.)
- Homosexuals Recruit Public School Children
- Homosexual Behavior Fuels AIDS and STD Epidemic
- A Gender Identity Goes Mainstream
- Homosexual Propaganda Campaign Based on Hitler's "Big Lie" Technique
- Homosexual Sex = Death from HIV Infection
- Traditional Values Coalition Exposes Homosexual Agenda
Homosexuality Is A Filthy Sin!
The Communist Subversion of America's Kids!
That's just sick! Have they no shame at GLSEN? Can you imagine, trying to teach Ronald that it's ok to stick something in Timmy's backside? ...or that it's ok for a boy to become a girl? What has American society deteriorated to? It is tragic. Any honest child knows that God created Adam and Eve; not Adam and Steve. GLSEN are a bunch of sickos!
"Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness,
to work all uncleanness with greediness." —Ephesians 4:19
"Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him?
When ye say, Every one
that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD..." —Malachi 2:17
Homosexuality is a sin! Don't upset God by saying it's not!
God is Angry!
"...God is angry with the wicked every day." —Psalm 7:11(All people!) (Audio sermon by Pastor Jeff Owens) | Hope for Homosexuals
The Homosexual Lifestyle is No White Picket Fence
Homosexuality and Child Sexual Abuse
Socrates was a Pederast Homosexual | Sodomite Ministers | "Pink Angels"The Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN)
EXPOSED!4-year old killed for refusing to call his mother's lesbian lover "daddy"
Homosexuality and Same Sex Marriage
George Michael Urges Gays to Take Religion Seriously
Swedish Pastor Sentenced to Prison for Preaching Against Sodomy
Homosexuality is Against Nature's Order
PERVERT ALERT! - Pedophile Priests and the Boy Scouts
Homosexuality a Factor in Sex Abuse by Catholic Priests
Homosexuals and the Pedophile Connection
The Homosexualization of America
Homosexuality and Child Molesting
Pedophile Priests (homosexuals)
George Bush Cheers Gay Church!
Homosexual Agenda in Our Public Schools
The Homosexual Lifestyle is No White Picket Fence
Education secretary blasts PBS for cartoon with gay characters
High Court to Give 'Gays' Their Own 'Roe'?
| Gay Tolerance? | Was King James a Homosexual? Frightening Gay Statistics | Violence and Homosexuality (Homosexuality is VERY ABNORMAL!)*While homosexuals claim they make up 10% of the population, the reality is closer to 1-2%!
(Provides a brief history of the homosexual movement in the U.S. and its roots in Marxist ideology. This paper describes how homosexuals terrorized the psychiatric community and have created a marketing strategy to vilify their opponents.)
Homosexuals Recruit Public School Children (.PDF)
Homosexual Behavior Fuels AIDS and STD Epidemic (.PDF)
A Gender Identity Disorder Goes Mainstream (.PDF)
Homosexual Propaganda Campaign Based on Hitler's "Big Lie" Technique (.PDF)
Homosexual Sex = Death from HIV Infection (.PDF)
Traditional Values Coalition Exposes Homosexual Agenda (.PDF)
GLSEN Fistgate Scandal at Tufts Detailed By Massachusetts News:
There is a way out!
If you love someone tell them the truth.


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Is Ian Somerhalder officially our Christian Grey?! Well...maybe.
The Vampire Diaries star didn't confirm or deny his future as Fifty Shades of Grey character Christian Grey at the 2012 Environmental Media Awards Saturday night, yet he did tell E! News what he predicts the audition process would be like and his take on the success of the books.
Ian shared: "I think that's going to be a very interesting story to tell...It seems like whoever plays that role, it will be very interesting rehearsal time…the audition process is gonna be interesting."
As for who Ian would cast as his Anastasia?
The actor responded: "My Anastasia? I don't know…there are too many [good Hollywood actors] to name."
Although the actor wouldn't reveal whether he's in for the sexually adventurous gig, he did share that. "I get it. I get it. I get why it's taken off the way it has."
Check out the full interview to see how more of how Ian gets his Fifty Shades of Grey and how costar Kat Graham feels about Ian taking on the role of Mr. Grey.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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The Next Generation Power Distribution Block (PDB). Mersen power distribution blocks provide a safe and easy method of splicing cables, splitting primary power into secondary circuits and fulfilling requirements for fixed junction tap-off points. All blocks are UL and CSA approved while meeting spacing requirements for feeder and branch circuits in conjunction with UL508A and the National Electrical Code(R). PDB options include single or dual conductor primary inputs and up to 30 secondary outputs. Specialty blocks are available allowing for up to 7 primary inputs. The MPDB series is offered in three size categories: miniature (MPDB62 and MPDB63 series), intermediate (MPDB66 and MPDB67 series), and large (MPDB68 and MPDB69 series), in both aluminum and copper. 2 wires in 2 wires out 1 poles 310 amps AL Large size.


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It's hard to keep them straight. First there was the discovery in Africa by Raymond Dart in 1925. of an infant skull. Entitled Australopithicus, this creature was recognized to be fully ape-like, but with a few characteristics hinting of human, thus an ape on the line to humans.
Over the years similar bones and bone fragments have been found (never has a complete skeleton been found) each individual slightly different but lumped into the genus Australopithicus, leading to the species names africanus, afarensis (including the famous "Lucy"), ramidus, and most recently ananemsis. A look at the actual data which led to the recent designation reveals the lengths to which men will go to justify their belief in our evolution from the animals.
Ananemsis has been dated as around 4 million years old by evolutionists. Leaving aside the validity of this date, we note that this age places ananemsis as older than the well-known "Lucy," a creature essentially identical to modern chimps, being totally chimp from the neck up. On her 3' 6" frame, only the controversial knee and hip bones give any clue of more erect posture than modem chimps. This species, as is now recognized, had long curved fingers and toes and an opposing big toe. With such a grasping foot, it was obviously tree-dwelling, only occasionally walking on the ground, possibly with a semi-erect posture).
The new ananemsis discovery consists of 2 groupings of bone fragments, together totaling 21. The more recent discovery of 12 tooth and jaw fragments near Lake Turkana in Africa have been lumped with 9 other fragments of teeth and limb bones found in 1965 and later some 100 miles away, near Kanapoi.
The Kanapoi fragments include one end of an arm bone, and the two end pieces of a shin bone, with the rest being tooth and jaw fragments. The arm bone was deemed remarkably "human-like" when discovered 30 years ago, strikingly close" to human in appearance, indistinguishable from modern homo sapiens."
But herein lies the problem. How could fully human limb bones be found in 4 million year-old strata? All evolutionists "know" that anatomically-modern humans didn't evolve-until the last one million years or so. How could they be before "Lucy," their ancestor? Thus the human-like arm bone was shelved. Only the recent discovery of the very human-like shin bone brought the arm to light once again, and forced evolutionists to deal with them both.
In contrast, the recently found Kanapoi jaw and tooth fragments are grossly apelike. Discoverer Dr. Meave Leakey (wife of Richard Leakey) exults that while the chin and teeth are more ape-like than "Lucy", yet they hint at progressing toward humans, thus earlier on the human family tree. (Doesn't anyone remember anymore that Lucy is scarcely different, from a chimp?). So, if this creature is more ape-like than Lucy, there is no justification for putting it in the human lineage at all).
The real clincher for evolution lies in the lumping of the recently found and quite ape-like 12 tooth and dental fragments from Lake Turkana in with the human-like Kanapoi limb bones, even though separated by 100 miles. Even at Kanapoi, the tooth and jaw fragments are found in a layer 55' lower stratisgraphically than the crucial limb bones. Already evolutionists are beginning to call the single-species interpretation into question. I predict that this claim will be discarded, even by evolutionists.
Meanwhile, Leakey's claims have received extensive coverage in the press. That may be what this is all about.
*Dr. John Morris is the President of ICR.


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"I met Ethan on the day that I killed Karoline."
Thus begins this psychological mystery. One has to admit, it is a great hooky first line for a book!
What if, in a moment of thoughtless anger, you were to wish your best friend's demise, then, soon after, that friend ended up dead?
This is the story of our smart, beautiful, psychologically fragile protagonist Anna Williams who, tortured by feelings of shame and guilt after Karoline's death, suffers an emotional breakdown.
Yet…did Anne really kill Karoline? I couldn't help but wonder as I turned the pages, asking myself, "Is she a psychopath?" I kept having the unsettling sensation that what I was reading wasn't what it appeared to be. In this sense, this is a deliciously engaging novel.
Through Anna's twisted perspective, and with the help of brief and somewhat odd journal entries, author Catherine Astolfo explores the complex relationship between the two friends. The reader will get a glimpse of Anne's inner journey as she uncovers painful childhood events and discovers a family history filled with unexpected crimes and betrayals.
Sweet Karoline is an exploration into the dark corners of a young woman's psyche as she falls into a vortex of greed, lies, and deceit.
I enjoyed reading this novel. It was different from many other books I've read recently. Written in a stream-of-consciousness manner that well suits the complicated mind of the protagonist, this multi-layered, well-paced story could be considered literary mystery. Astolfo pays a lot of attention to language and her prose, drily witty at times, is eloquent and fluid. What leads people to harm others? What prompts a good person to commit evil acts? These are just some of the questions explored in this dark tale of suspense.
If you enjoy a good psychological mystery, you should try this one out. Recommended.
Purchase on Amazon.
Visit the author's website.
Read my interview with the author here on Blogcritics.


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Shell makes motor oil from natural gas
Shell announced the creation of the first-of-its kind base oil made from natural gas, the cleanest burning fossil fuel. It is called Shell PurePlus Technology, a patented process of converting natural gas into a clear base oil, which is the main component of motor oils.
Shell PurePlus Technology is now being used to create motor oils that offer complete protection to motorists in the United States. Pennzoil Platinum and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Full Synthetic motor oils are the only ones blended exclusively with these base oils.
"This is an absolute step change in our industry," said Istvan Kapitany, President, Shell Lubricants Americas. "It is important to Shell that we continue to push the boundaries of science and innovation to provide our customers with improved transport options. What better way to do that than leveraging the benefits of being an integrated company by adding natural gas from our upstream operations to a new slate of oil products that are hitting the store shelves now."
"Shell PurePlus Technology is the result of 40 years of innovation starting with the Shell natural-gas-to-liquids (GTL) process that dates back to the 1970s," said Dr. Richard Dixon, Shell North America Motor Oil Technology Manager. "We then took this technology and ultimately created Shell PurePlus base oil, which has been in large scale commercial development since late 2011. To our knowledge, Shell is the only manufacturer to have produced base oils from natural gas on a commercial scale and it's exciting to pave the way for others to follow."
Shell PurePlus Technology base oil is manufactured at the Pearl GTL facility in Ras Laffan in Qatar, a partnership between Qatar Petroleum and Shell. Shell PurePlus base oil is crystal clear due to having fewer of the impurities found in crude oil. The Shell GTL and the Shell PurePlus base oil manufacturing processes have been the subject of multiple patents.


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Includes one small and one large. Available in light or dark.
With Hot Bun hair accessory it's easy to create fabulous buns! Hot Buns hair accessory at today!


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MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Suspected Islamic extremists arrested last week in Barcelona were planning al Qaeda-style attacks in Spain, Germany, France, Britain and Portugal, according to an informant who "infiltrated" the group, Spain's El Pais newspaper reports.
"If we attack the metro [subway system in Barcelona], the emergency services can't get there," one of the suspected suicide bombers told the informant, El Pais reported on Saturday. "Our preference is public transport, especially the metro."
El Pais reported that it had access to the informant's testimony to Spanish officials.
CNN has confirmed that authorities have given high importance to an informant's testimony.
The judge who ordered 10 suspects held for allegedly plotting a suicide attack in Barcelona, cited in his rulings the testimony of an informant. CNN has viewed the rulings.
Spain's Interior Minister last Friday said an informant warned of a planned suicide attack against Barcelona's metro on the weekend of January 18 to 20. But he added that, for now, "there is only the testimony of an informant" regarding the timing.
The informant told authorities the cell comprised six suicide bombers, including himself, El Pais reported on Saturday.
Spain's attorney general, Candido Conde-Pumpido, said last week that the cell could have contained six suicide bombers, two explosives experts and two ideologues.
Judge Ismael Moreno, in rulings last Wednesday, wrote that the informant had named three suspected suicide bombers and an explosives expert, all of whom had traveled from Pakistan to Barcelona since last summer. The judge ordered these four men held, out the total of 10 jailed suspects who are from South Asia.
They include nine Pakistani nationals and a man from India, who is Muslim.
A court-appointed translator told CNN that all 10 suspects testified during their arraignments that they were innocent.
The cell planned three attacks in Spain, one in Germany and others in France, Britain and Portugal, according to the informant, El Pais reported.
On Sunday, another El Pais story added that the "wave of attacks" was to have been carried out by the Barcelona group and other extremist Pakistani cells were to attack elsewhere in Europe.
The informant told authorities about potential links between the Barcelona group and suspected extremists in other countries, the interior minister said Friday.
The informant had traveled by train from France to Barcelona on January 16, a few days before police made arrests in Barcelona, El Pais reported Saturday. A day earlier, the newspaper reported that the informant worked for French intelligence.
Al Qaeda was planning to take responsibility for the first attack in Barcelona through Baitullah Mehsud, a Taliban commander whom the Pakistani government blames for last month's assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, El Pais reported.
"Only the leadership of the organization knows what requests the emir (Baitullah) will make after the first attack, but if they are not carried out, there will be a second attack in Spain, and a third," a cell leader told the informant, El Pais reported. "And then in Germany, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom. There are many people prepared there."
In Barcelona, two pairs of suicide bombers were to attack in separate metro stations, the paper said, citing the informant's testimony. One of the cell leaders said the bombs were supposed to be hidden in backpacks or bags and that other cell members were to detonate them by remote control, the paper added.
Two other pairs of suicide bombers were to strike elsewhere in Spain, while another suicide bomber was to attack in Germany, although the informant said he did not know where or when those attacks were to occur, El Pais reported.
Three other terrorists were assigned to attack in France and two in Portugal, El Pais reported, although it did not mention locations or times for those attacks either.
Civil Guards initially detained 14 people in Barcelona, but released two before arraignments last Wednesday. The judge then released two more, leaving 10 in jail for further investigation. It was not immediately known if the alleged informant may have been among those arrested and released.
"This cell was preparing to attack," Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said Friday in an interview with Spanish radio network SER. "It's clear they were going to try, whether last weekend (January 18 to 20) or within 15 days."
But he said police have not found explosives "in sufficient quantity" to have carried out the assault.
"We have found a modest quantity of explosives," Rubalcaba said, adding that they may have been intended for use in training the suspects.
The judge in his rulings wrote that the group "had achieved human operational capacity and were very close to achieving full technical capacity with explosives, with the aim of using those explosives for a jihadi terrorist attack."
Rubalcaba said that, for any such suspected terrorist cell, "the time from getting explosives to carrying out the attack can be very short."
The judge wrote that police had found nitrocellulose and mechanical and electrical elements that could have been used to make one or more bombs.
More than 300 suspected Islamic extremists have been arrested in Spain since the Madrid train bombings killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800 on March 11, 2004, Rubalcaba said.
Last October, more than a dozen Islamic extremists were convicted in Madrid for their roles in the train bombings.
The 2004 bombings came just three days before general elections, in which Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero won an upset victory.
The latest arrests in Barcelona come less than two months before the next general elections, to be held March 9, when Zapatero seeks re-election.
Spain remains on "permanent alert" against Islamic terrorism. Al Qaeda communiques regularly make specific references to Spain. E-mail to a friend


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BPI sues ABC over "Pink Slime" reports
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Beef Products Inc. has filed a defamation lawsuit against ABC News for its coverage of a meat product that critics dubbed "pink slime," alleging the network misled consumers to believe the product is unhealthy and unsafe.
The Dakota Dunes, S.D.-based company is seeking $1.2 billion in damages for roughly 200 "false and misleading and defamatory" statements about the product. The lawsuit, filed in a South Dakota court Thursday, also accuses ABC News of improper interference with the relationships between BPI and its customers.
BPI attorney Dan Webb says the reports led consumers to believe the beef is not meat, but an unhealthy slime unfit for human consumption.
ABC News senior vice president Jeffrey W. Schneider says the lawsuit has no merit. ABC News is owned by The Walt Disney Co.


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- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 05:31 06:45 12:35 15:51 18:20 19:34
With Premier League leaders Manchester United not playing until Sunday, champions Manchester City can close to within four points of their title rivals by beating Fulham on Saturday.
United have looked imperious in recent weeks, picking up 31 points from a possible 33 to establish a seven-point lead over second-place City, who have let 10 points slip over the same period.
However, on Sunday United visit Tottenham Hotspur, who have lost just once in 10 matches and who won 3-2 at Old Trafford when the sides last met in September.
With third-place Chelsea also preparing for a problematic assignment at home to Arsenal on the same day, City will hope this weekend marks the start of their fightback in the title race.
Whereas United and Chelsea were both in action in mid-week - United edging West Ham United in an FA Cup third-round replay and Chelsea drawing 2-2 at home to Southampton in the league - City have benefited from a week off.
Roberto Mancini's side have also been boosted by captain Vincent Kompany's successful appeal against the red card he was shown in last weekend's 2-0 win at Arsenal, which would have ruled him out of the home game with Fulham.
Although United show no sign of slowing, City full-back Pablo Zabaleta says his colleagues have not lost hope and will draw inspiration from the way they pipped Alex Ferguson's men to the English crown last season.
"We know that we are up against a rival in United who are in a very good moment," he said.
"They have seven points more, but that is not much in this league. There is still a long way before the title is decided and there is still a margin to lose and recover.
"We hope United have a few games where they lose some points and we continue on this route, taking three points all the time."
Further down the standings, Liverpool host Norwich City, knowing that victory, allied with a defeat for Spurs on Sunday, would take them to within six points of the Champions League places.
Brendan Rodgers' side went down 2-1 at United last weekend but there was good news in the return from injury of Italian striker Fabio Borini.
A close-season acquisition from Roma, Borini broke his foot just five league games into his Anfield career and after three months on the sidelines, he is desperate to make up for lost time.
"All the memories of the last three months and the things I've been through went from my mind," said the 21-year-old of his comeback at Old Trafford.
"My Liverpool career is actually starting now, I think. I'd only played five league games and six or seven games in the Europa League, which is not a lot.
"It really starts now with great intensity week in, week out to get playing again."
Saturday could also be an important day at the other end of the table, with the bottom five clubs all in action.
Newcastle United, two places above the relegation places, host second-bottom Reading, while Aston Villa will bid to arrest their worrying slide down the standings when they visit Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion.
Fresh from their victory over West Brom in the FA Cup on Tuesday, bottom club Queens Park Rangers travel to manager Harry Redknapp's former club West Ham.
QPR will hope to hand a debut to French striker Loic Remy, who has revealed that a games console session with Malaysian chairman Tony Fernandes helped persuade him to join the London club from Marseille.
"It was a special moment that followed our chat about QPR," Remy told the club website.
"We just played a game of FIFA - it was good and showed to me what a good person Tony is. He showed his human side to me as an owner of the club I wanted to join. It was a special moment for us both."
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.


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In The News
Fox Sports Worked a Live Mirrorless Camera Into an NFL Broadcast — And It Caught Viewers' Attention
December 22, 2020
About CP Communications
For more than three decades, CP Communications has provided high-quality, cost-effective live event production solutions to major broadcasters, sports leagues and teams, and event and production companies. Our solutions include access to experienced professionals, state of the art equipment, and innovative technologies and techniques for wireless audio & video content acquisition, transport and delivery. Our culture of innovation, coupled with the highest quality assurance standards and passion for customer service, promote collaboration with our clients to determine the best custom solution for each live event.
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NEW YORK » Bird poop for beauty?
That's what goes into facials at a luxury spa where the traditional Japanese treatment using imported Asian nightingale excrement mixed with rice bran goes for $180 a pop.
About 100 women and men go into the Shizuka New York skin care salon, just off Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, each month to get the treatment, which is promoted as a way to keep the face soft and smooth using an enzyme in the poop to gently exfoliate the skin.
Spa owner Shizuka Bernstein, a Tokyo native married to an American, has been offering what she calls the Geisha Facial for about five years.
"I try to bring Japanese beauty secrets to the United States," says Bernstein, who learned the treatment from her mother.
The Geisha Facial poop treatment, while relatively rare in the United States, is no secret in Japan, where it was first used in the 1600s by actors and geishas.
"That's why Japanese grandmothers have beautiful complexions," says Duke Klauck, owner of the Ten Thousand Waves health spa in Santa Fe, N.M., which offers a Nightingale Facial for $129.
On a recent afternoon in Manhattan, Mari Miyoshi arrived at the sixth-floor Shizuka New York spa to try the treatment for the first time.
"I'm a stressed-out New Yorker," the 35-year-old occupational therapist announced as she reclined on a table, relaxing amid aromas of camellia, lavender and rose.
The treatment begins with steam to open the pores and soften the skin. Cream is applied. And then comes what Bernstein calls "the nightingale part."
She pours the cream-colored poop, dried and finely ground, into a bowl, mixing it with the rice bran using a small spatula. She applies the potion to Miyoshi's face with a brush, rubbing it in with her hands.
Does it smell?
"Yes, but like toasted rice," Miyoshi says.
After about five minutes, it comes off with a foaming cleanser and Miyoshi's face is draped in a warm, wet towel bathed in lavender and geranium essences. Finally, the grand finale — a green-tea collagen mask.
"Sooooo nice," Bernstein says softly, looking at Miyoshi's radiant face.
Dr. Michele Green, a Manhattan cosmetic dermatologist, says that while the nightingale facial "definitely has some rejuvenating effect, I don't think it's any different than, say, an apricot scrub or a mask that you could buy in a local pharmacy."
A common misconception is that any old bird poop, even from pigeons, is used. Bernstein says only droppings from birds of the nightingale species are used because they live on seeds, producing the natural enzyme that is the active ingredient.
"We don't do Central Park facials," she says, "because those birds eat garbage."


text: Luxury Rent-A-Car has its headquarters in Los Angeles, CA and specializes in exotic car rental and luxury car rentals. Whether you are looking for a Mercedes, Jaguar, Range Rover, BMW, Porsche, Cadillac, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Corvette, Hummer, Viper, a conversion van, 15 passenger vans, a new hybrid, or a decked out SUV, you have come to the right place. We carry only the newest models available and keep our rental cars in pristine condition all with low mileage. We now have car rental offices covering cities in both California and Arizona. Please find us in the following cities: Los Angeles (LAX), Phoenix (PHX), Scottsdale, Santa Monica, Orange County (SNA), Newport Beach, Malibu, Marina Del Rey, Hollywood, West Hollywood, and PALM SPRINGS AIRPORT (PSP) BERMUDA DUNES AIRPORT (UDD). On special request, we can deliver to San Francisco and Las Vegas. Curbside pickup is available at the Los Angeles Airport (LAX), Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport (PHX), as well as Orange County John Wayne Airport (SNA). Come see the difference Luxury Car Rental has to offer. We extend red carpet service to all our clients as well as a concierge. We are also happy to deliver your car to you anywhere in Southern California or the greater Phoenix area. We are here to make your car hire experience the very best it can be. As our motto states,"ARRIVE IN STYLE." Contact Luxury Rent A Car today to schedule an appointment. Call 1 877 589 8799 or click here to make your reservation online. |


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Woodward's Dubious Intimidation Claim Trumpeted By Right-Wing Echo Chamber
Actual Emails Undermine Woodward's Sinister Spin
Written by Justin Berrier
Right-wing media are hyping reporter Bob Woodward's sinister interpretation of an email he received from the White House as a threat against him. But White House officials point out that the email was sent as an apology for previous tension, not a threat -- a claim reinforced by the tone of the emails.
In an interview with Politico, Woodward described a tense conversation with White House economic adviser Gene Sperling. Following the conversation, Sperling emailed Woodward to apologize for his tone, concluding "You're focusing on a few specific trees that give a very wrong impression of the forest. But perhaps we will just not see eye to eye here. ... I think you will regret staking out that claim." In the Politico interview, Woodward interpreted the line as a threat, an interpretation that was immediately picked up by the right-wing media and reported as fact.
Fox News' Sean Hannity called it an example of "intimidation" and "arrogance" by a "fearmongering, demagogue president." Similar claims were made on Fox & Friends and Fox Business' Lou Dobbs Tonight, and it was the top headline on the Drudge Report:
But the emails, released later by Politico, do not bear out Woodward's claim that he was threatened by Sperling. After apologizing for his tone in the earlier conversation, Sperling wrote that "as a friend" he was concerned with the possibility of Woodward reporting inaccurate claims about the debt ceiling deal:
I do understand your problems with a couple of our statements in the fall -- but feel on the other hand that you focus on a few specific trees that gives a very wrong perception of the forest. But perhaps we will just not see eye to eye here.
But I do truly believe you should rethink your comment about saying saying that Potus asking for revenues is moving the goal post. I know you may not believe this, but as a friend, I think you will regret staking out that claim.
Sperling concluded by explaining his reasoning and giving his "sincere advice" before saying the decision was "Your call obviously." Woodward responded to this email -- which he later portrayed as a threat -- by writing:
You do not ever have to apologize to me. You get wound up because you are making your points and you believe them. This is all part of a serious discussion. I for one welcome a little heat; there should more given the importance. I also welcome your personal advice. I am listening. I know you lived all this. My partial advantage is that I talked extensively with all involved.
CNN's Soledad O'Brien pointed out that Sperling's focus on possible inaccurate reporting weakened Woodward's claim of intimidation:
The emails not only contradict Woodward and the right-wing media's claim of intimidation, they confirm the interpretation given by White House staff after they were asked about the exchange. One official told Talking Points Memo that the email was intended to warn Woodward against reporting inaccurate material:
"Of course no threat was intended. As Mr. Woodward noted, the email from the aide was sent to apologize for voices being raised in their previous conversation. The note suggested that Mr. Woodward would regret the observation he made regarding the sequester because that observation was inaccurate, nothing more. And Mr. Woodward responded to this aide's email in a friendly manner."
Woodward has been widely criticized for some of his reporting on the debt ceiling and sequestration. In a Washington Post column, Woodward claimed President Obama "moved the goalposts" by proposing additional revenue as part of a deficit plan to replace sequestration. Following the column's publication, several media outlets pointed out that revenue was always a part of Obama's balanced deficit reduction plan.


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wiki3476: Nto640_fastboot_ipl_notes | ||
Fastboot IPL Notes for Momentics 6.4 BSPs#This guide explains how to use a Fastboot IPL Source only package with its counterpart BSP.
To access the Fastboot IPL Source package for a specific BSP, users must have signed the Intel Fastboot NDA. Merging the BSP and IPL#The IPL Source package is an add-on to its counterpart BSP. For this reason, you must merge the 2 packages together to be able to work with the IPL Source. For Momentics IDE Users#Momentics IDE cannot simply import Fastboot IPL packages into an existing BSP project. The BSP and IPL Source zip files must first be merged before the BSP/IPL can be imported into the IDE. This can simply be done by the following steps:
OR (for linux users) Run the Nto640_fastboot_ipl_notes/fastboot_bsp_merge.sh script as follows: Where:
You can now import the merged BSP into the IDE and refer to Building a Poulsbo Based BSP with IDE 4.5 for information on building in the IDE. For Command Line Users#Command line users simply need to unzip the IPL Source zip into the top level directory of the unzipped BSP package. The top level directory is the one containing the images install prebuilt src directories. You'll know you got it right if you now have a src/hardware/ipl directory.


text: The road is even more dangerous this time around. After splitting ways with his running team Cole had found himself back on the road of fury running from the nuclear blizzard. This time he cannot enlist help on his own, he has to earn it. As he breaks through enemy barriers he will meet other road warrior like him that will help him escape the road of fury. There are lots of new enemies and upgrades to take into to battle.


text: The Community Foundation (CFES) Anne and Jim Almand Donor Advised Fund and the CFES Chairman's Fund donated $500 to the Mason Dixon Woodworkers Club to produce hand-crafted wooden toys to be distributed to local organizations serving children in need. Since 1987, the primary objective of this club has been to promote education and to foster craftsmanship in the art and techniques of woodworking. Pictured, from left, are Karson Morrison, President, Mason Dixon Woodworks Club; Don Connell, Toys Program Chair, Mason Dixon Woodworkers Club; and Erica Joseph, Program and Development Director, CFES.


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Risk Factors
A risk factor is something that increases your likelihood of getting a disease or condition.
It is possible to develop hypertension with or without the risk factors listed below. However, the more risk factors you have, the greater your likelihood of developing hypertension. If you have a number of risk factors, ask your healthcare provider what you can do to reduce your risk.
Risk factors for hypertension include:
Specific Lifestyle Factors
- Alcohol use —Drinking alcohol regularly and in large amounts increases blood pressure. This means drinking more than one daily drink for women or two for men.
- High Fructose Corn Syrup Consumption- HFCS has been correlated to several metabolic syndromes, including an increased incidence of hypertension. Learn more.
- Excess dietary sodium—In susceptible people, a high salt diet may contribute to high blood pressure.
- Lack of exercise—Moderate to intense exercise, done regularly, improves heart function and promotes healthy arteries. If you're unaccustomed to exercise, check with your doctor before beginning an exercise program.
- Stress—Hormones released by your body when you are under stress can increase your blood pressure. This may aggravate high blood pressure in genetically susceptible individuals.
Medical Conditions
- Obesity —Like all tissue, fatty tissue requires a rich blood supply. The heart has to work harder to deliver blood to all the body tissues in heavier people than in leaner people.
- Other conditions associated with hypertension include:
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease
- Hormonal disorders
- Porphyria
- Toxemia of pregnancy
Certain Medications
- Oral contraceptives (birth control pills)—Taking oral contraceptives may increase your risk of hypertension in certain situations. You are more likely to develop high blood pressure while taking birth control pills if you:
- Have a family history of hypertension
- Have kidney disease
- Are overweight
- Had high blood pressure during pregnancy
- Other medications—Certain drugs can increase your risk of hypertension and/or interfere with medications you may take to lower your blood pressure. These include:
- Steroids
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- Decongestants
- Diet pills
- Antidepressants
People age 35 and older are at increased risk of developing hypertension, although anyone, even children, can have high blood pressure.
Men are generally at greater risk for hypertension than pre-menopausal women. After menopause , though, a woman's risk increases and is slightly greater than that of a man of the same age.
Genetic Factors
Having family members with high blood pressure increases your risk of developing the condition.
Hypertension tends to develop at an earlier age and is more severe in blacks than in whites.
High blood pressure. American Heart Association website. Available at:
. Accessed June 18, 2009.
High blood pressure. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Available at:
. Updated November 2008. Accessed June 18, 2009.
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Idea for Night Farmers Market Floated
Ann Arbor public market advisory commission meeting (March 10, 2011): A nighttime farmers market in Ann Arbor is in the works as a pilot program to start on Wednesdays in July.
Market manager Molly Notarianni is proposing a producers-only market from 4:30-8:30 p.m., operating as a separate entity from the existing Saturday and Wednesday daytime markets. The significance of having a separate application process is that it would eliminate the seniority system that exists at the other markets. The seniority system makes it difficult for new vendors to get spots in those markets.
Members of the city's public market advisory commission seemed generally supportive of the idea – they'll likely weigh in officially at their meeting in May.
The group also discussed revisions to the market vendor application form – including a proposed requirement for lease verification.
The commission is still short two members, a situation that has presented some challenges in the last few months. All three current members need to attend in order to achieve a quorum, and scheduling difficulties have led to cancellation of several of their monthly meetings. The March meeting was rescheduled from Tuesday to Thursday of last week – because of that change, the meeting was not broadcast by Community Television Network (CTN).
Openings remain on the commission for the category of: (1) a market shopper; and (2) someone who lives or works in the Kerrytown district, where the market is located. Applications are available on the market's website. They must be sent to the mayor, who makes nominations that are then voted on by the city council.
Night Market Pilot Program
Molly Notarianni began her presentation about a potential night market by saying it's been a vision she's had to expand use of the market space, and a way to address the demand from vendors and shoppers for additional market hours. The public market space is underused, she said, and adding a night market would be one way to capitalize on the location.
Her proposal is to create another farmers market on Wednesday evenings, from 4:30-8:30 p.m. The market would run for a shorter season, launching this year on July 1 – the start of the city's fiscal year – and running through September or early October.
Wednesdays are best because the area is already blocked off for the daytime farmers market, she said. The Wednesday daytime market runs from May through December, from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Because she was concerned that a night market will take up the market's parking spaces (which would otherwise be available to downtown visitors), Notarianni said she talked about the idea with two stakeholders: Karen Farmer, manager of Kerrytown Market & Shops, a complex of stores adjacent to the public market; and Susan Pollay, executive director of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, which oversees the city's surface parking lots – including the one at the public market.
Both Farmer and Pollay were enthusiastic about the proposal, Notarianni reported. They felt that a night market would draw more people to that area, which would benefit the stores and restaurants in Kerrytown.
The night market would have the same spirit and basic premise as the Saturday and Wednesday daytime markets, Notarianni said. But rather than have a combination of food producers and artisans, her proposal calls for a focus at the night market on small-scale food producers and growers . She also proposes that the night market be a new, separate venture – that is, with a separate application and set of rules. This would disconnect it from the seniority rules of the existing markets, which give preference to long-time vendors. [.pdf of draft night market rules and vendor application]
The plan would make the night market more accessible to new vendors who have difficulty getting into the existing markets, she said. There would be an annual application process and evaluation – just because you were accepted the previous year wouldn't guarantee you a spot.
Night Market: Commissioner Discussion
The three market commissioners were generally supportive of the idea. Shannon Brines noted that the draft rules were much shorter than existing market rules. That's what happens when you eliminate the seniority system, Notarianni said – it becomes less complex.
Lindsay-Jean Hard asked how potential vendors would be notified of the opportunity. Notarianni said she had a stack of applications from vendors that haven't been able to get a spot at the daytime markets – that would be one place to start. Word would likely spread quickly, and she noted that existing vendors are welcome to apply, too.
Dave Barkman said he thought it could be a benefit, to bring new people to the market. He asked whether the new market would also be under Notarianni's management, and if the fees would help pay her salary. Yes, she would manage it, she replied, but her salary wouldn't increase. Barkman – who owns TJ Farms in Chelsea and is a market vendor – said existing vendors wonder whether the fees they pay are subsidizing other programs at the market, by paying for Notarianni's overtime, for example. Will their fees go up or down? [Currently, fees are $25 per stall, per day, or $300 per stall annually.]
Revenues from the night market would be extra, Notarianni explained, and might allow them to hire a part-time staff person to help manage it. The additional money could also be used for promotion and outreach for all of the markets, she noted, which would benefit existing vendors. She didn't feel the new market would undercut the existing markets in any way.
Brines of Brines Farm, who's also a vendor and chair of the commission, suggested that they get more information about the financial piece of it – about how the additional revenues would be used. He said he talked with some vendors about the idea, and got generally positive responses, though they wanted more details.
Barkman said he assumed the night market would bring in new customers, not divert business away from the daytime market. He wondered how the logistics would be handled in the transition – getting daytime vendors out and night vendors in between 3 and 4:30 p.m. Notarianni said the logistics would have to be worked out, but that many vendors in the day leave before 3 p.m. anyway.
Brines floated the possibility of using Lunasa, an online system that allows shoppers to place orders for local food vendors and pick up their food at a central location. The current Lunasa pick-up site in Ann Arbor is at a Jackson Road warehouse.
Notarianni noted there were lots of creative possibilities. Pollay had suggested selling ready-to-eat food that could be used for picnics or taken to other venues, like evening events at the nearby Kerrytown Concert House. The night market might also be attractive for food carts that will be operating during the day at Mark's Carts, a new food court that's being developed by Mark Hodesh, owner of Downtown Home & Garden at Ashley and Washington streets.
The commissioners discussed extending the market into October. Even though it might get dark by 8:30 p.m., the market area is lit to accommodate vendors and shoppers.
Next steps in the process would be to get feedback from vendors and additional feedback from commissioners, Notarianni said, then they'd vote on the proposal. For accounting purposes, she suggested starting it in July, after the start of the city's next fiscal year on July 1.
Brines proposed voting on it at their May meeting, to give more people a chance to find out about the idea and give input. Notarianni also plans to included information about it in her next monthly market newsletter.
Revised Vendor Application
The farmers market vendor application is updated annually. Notarianni noted that last year, the commission had gone through an extensive revision process, including public meetings with vendors. This year, she proposed three changes: (1) a lease verification form; (2) a form for vendor information that will be available to the public; and (3) a revision stating explicitly that resale of products not produced by the vendor is prohibited. [.pdf of draft 2011 revised vendor application form]
The resale prohibition isn't new, she noted – Ann Arbor has always been a "producer's market," meaning that vendors can sell only products they have made. This change is intended to make it even more clear, she said.
The form for publicly available vendor information is to clarify for vendors that the contact information they give will be available to the public, if requested. In the past when people have requested information under the Freedom of Information Act, there's been confusion about what information could be released. This form is intended to clarify that, she said.
In response to a query from Brines, Notarianni confirmed that the applications are in paper form – only the original copy is kept on file in the market office. There are no copies made except in response to a FOIA request, and the information isn't entered into a database. She said that when she worked at a market in Portland, they used an online application process, which resulted in a searchable database. She didn't think they could require that in Ann Arbor.
Brines said he suspected that from vendors they'd hear the most response about the new lease verification form. He noted that some vendors conduct business on a handshake, and might not have the documentation required – which is a copy of the lease for any land used to grow or produce products. The form also asks for both the vendor and the landlord of the leased property to sign it. Brines wondered if this might be a challenge. What if the landowner lives out of town?
He noted that the market operating rules don't mention leases, but that the lease verification is in line with being a producer-only market.
Notarianni said this is just another piece of information they're requesting, in addition to items like the amount of acreage a vendor uses or the types of produce that they grow.
The next step is to put the draft application form on the market's website for review, Notarianni said. It is important to get the word out, she said, especially since the March commission meeting wasn't being televised. Per the market's operating rules, vendors must complete their applications for the following fiscal year by May 15. [.pdf of market operating rules] She suggested that the commission vote on the changes at their next meeting. [These changes are made administratively. The commission is an advisory body to the market manager.]
Misc. Updates: Looking for New Commissioners
Thursday's meeting included several updates from Notarianni and some of the commissioners. Before the meeting, Notarianni and Lindsay-Jean Hard of Real Time Farms – the commission's newest member – discussed the two remaining openings on the commission. Over the past year, terms of two commissioners – Diane Black and Genia Service – expired. And Peter Pollack, who chaired the group, passed away last year.
Openings remain for the category of: (1) a market shopper; and (2) someone who lives or works in the Kerrytown district, where the market is located. Applications are sent to the mayor, who makes nominations that are then voted on by city council. [.pdf of application for public market advisory commission] Notarianni said she hasn't been informed by mayor John Hieftje about any applications he's received.
Notarianni also asked for feedback from commissioners about whether to bring back the nonprofit Peace, Love & Planet, which last year came to the market to collect plastic garden pots and trays to recycle. She said the group wanted to do it again, but was requesting funding and possibly volunteers to help with the collection. Commissioners expressed some ambivalence about it, and asked Notarianni to get more details about how much funding was needed.
Notarianni reported that the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority will be installing more bike racks in the market area. Commissioners suggested locating them in a spot that's visible – possibly near existing hoops at Catherine and Detroit streets, or between Detroit and Fifth.
A program called Double Up Food Bucks, which provides coupons for fresh food to people who get food assistance benefits, will be returning to the market in May, Notarianni said. The program is administered by the Fair Food Network, an Ann Arbor-based nonprofit.
Brines reported that the recent Local Food Summit, a March 1 event he helped organize, was a success. More than 300 people attended, he said, reflecting a lot of energy in the local food movement. "In general, that means the public market advisory commission should promote that in as many ways as we can," he added.
Present: Commissioners Dave Barkman, Shannon Brines, and Lindsay-Jean Hard. Also: Molly Notarianni, market manager.
Next meeting: The commission's next regular meeting is on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. in the fourth floor of the Ann Arbor District Library's downtown building, 343 S. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor. [confirm date]


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Ken Hatfield's 1935 Ford Pickup.
By Don Cook
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
North Texas Fair Grounds (Denton)
Nov. 13 (Saturday)
The "Chupacabras" Car Club hosted their ninth Annual Pistons and Paint Car Show in Denton, TX, at the North Texas Fair Grounds. The weather was perfect for this laid back event with over two hundred kool cars, trucks, dragsters and bikes. There was also live music, vendors and good food. For more information on the show go to: www.pistonandpaint.com
Tony Duran's 1940 Ford Kustom.
The driver was enjoying the warm weather.
Chopped and louvered 1931 Ford Coupe.
To view more photos from the show, click on the slideshow below: